


Omega Therapy

by madmana (woelfchen)



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alive Hale Family, Alpha Derek Hale, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Derek Gets Therapy, M/M, Omega Facilities, Omega Stiles Stilinski, POV Derek, Tagging as I go
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-17
Updated: 2017-01-28
Packaged: 2018-08-31 14:45:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8582476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/woelfchen/pseuds/madmana
Summary: In all honesty, the judge was an idiot. Alpha Derek Hale really didn't need Omega Therapy. He was just trying to help his friend, not being a threat to other alphas. Also, offering omegas for medical reasons is just all kinds of wrong. They were no dogs you could just leash and have them help you when you need them. So yeah, Derek really hates the idea to get OT.But of course Laura, that traitor, makes him go anyways. She even supports the idea and searches for the perfect place. Just great.[probably discontinued]





	1. Chapter 1

With far more force than necessary, Derek throws his keys into the ugly blue and red bowl on the small sidetable next to their entrance. They clang loudly in the porcelain before slipping out on the other side, clattering first to the wooden surface and then, a moment later, to the floor. He doesn't bother to pick them up though, just toes off his shoes and kicks them into a corner, and tipping down his leatherjacket and throwing it vaguely in the direction of the stairs.   
"So it didn't go well then?", Laura mocks him from the living room. Derek stomps over to face her. "Oh no, just peachy. Everything worked out _so well_ ", he grouches out as he plops down on the couch heavily. Laura just pats his arm in silent sympathy.  
  
"Did they give you a hard time? You know you can fight the sentence, if they're being unreasonable."  
Derek clenches his hands. "Oh, they did give me a hard time, alright. That damn Argent woman wouldn't back off, making me seem like an unbalanced, dangerous maniac that goes around provoking alphas into fights. Now, I'm being a threat to every alpha, especially those in company of an omega, because aparrently me not being mated to one makes me jealous and unpredictable. They wouln't even listen to me when I tried to explain-"  
"Hey, it's okay. Kate Argent hates alphas, her being on your case makes it easier to fight the whole thing. She's clearly prejudiced. What's the verdict anyways?" Laura tries to soothe. It helps that she's always on his site.  
Derek takes a deep breath, letting the scent of family wash over him. Clearly, Laura had spent time at their parents house, just for his benefit. He leans closer into her touch, taking comfort where it's offered. "Judge Finstock didn't take Argents bait, I won't get incarcerated. Instead, he thinks I need 'mellowing down'. He want's me to go to Omega-Therapy. Urgh, that's even worse! If they'd just listened to me, they would know that the whole reason I even attacked Daehler was the way he treated Isaac- Why are you laughing?"  
  
Laura was reduced to a body-trembling giggle, the near silent one she only got when she tried to hold back. Now that she was found out, she just full on laughed, bellowing her amusement out in glee. "Oh, that's amazing. That's so great, oh my god. You in OT. I can't wait to tell mom-"  
"Don't!" Derek warned. "I don't want her involved in this."  
"I'm sorry," Laura said, "but the idea of you grouching your way trough an omegas company is just - I don't think you should fight this. Maybe the judge was on to something. This could be really good for you." Then she started cackling again, and Derek shoved her into the armrest.   
  


  
With Lauras help, Derek found an agreeable place nearby that offered Omega Therapy. She assured him that the omegas in the facitity were treated properly und taken care off well. Derek wasn't sure that any place that housed omegas just to put in front of dangerous betas and alphas was agreeable. He hated the idea of it. Hated that omegas were viewed as something that couldn't take care off themselves, that had to be fostered or mated off.   
Still, he called the place after Laura asked a friend of hers for the right contact. He worked out standing appointments 3 times a week, according to his guidelines.   
  
Laura took him to his first appointment. "You know, the place is really nice. They even have a garden. I got to visit it once, when I picked up Jordan. The omegas kinda do their own thing, so that's good to. They're not forced to do something they don't want to."  
"And how high is the fence around that garden?" Derek asked, knowing the facility would have some sort of protection installed. They'd want to keep their goods somehow.  
Laura sighed, then said: "Not _that_ high.  You can still see the other buildings and everything. Is that all you heard me say just now? It's a really good place, Derek. I promise you'll like it."  
Derek snorted. There is no way in hell that he'd like that place. Places like that were the exact opposite of his beliefs. From the first time he understood that there was a severe case of classism an gender inequality, he was an outspoken advocate for omega rights. Him having to go to state-issued OT would ruin every public statement he'd make from now on. "That place will be my death."  
"Stop being so dramatic. Jordan said the omegas there really helped him getting over his PTSD and anxiety. He said he went for far longer than he'd had the perscription, because it was so good for him.", Laura deflected.  
But Derek just frowned. "Don't you see how wrong that is? He was using the omegas for his own good, he got addicted to it. And what about the omegas? Don't you think that they're put in constant danger?"  
"You mean danger, like agressive, unstable alphas?", Laura said with a smirk, "Oh yeah, they better watch out for you."  
Derek growled. "That's not funny, Laura, and you know it. I am no threat to any one omega. I'd fight for their safety in a heartbeat."  
  
After that, Laura stopped trying to convince him that it would be fun and _good for him_. She dropped him off in a nice suburban neighbourhood, in front of a very big, old victorian house. From what he could see behind a big ass iron fence with pointy arrows on each rod, the garden was well kept and the house recently renovated. Laura sped off with the warning to be nice to everyone, especially the handlers.  
The iron gate only swung open when he introduced himself over an intercom next to it. Derek walked up the winding path to the house, looking around. He noticed a flowerbed in the distance, a big apple tree to the other side. Closer to the entrance, there was a bikerack with some bikes neatly standing side by side. Two of them had training wheels and Derek scoffed.   
  
The entrance swung open before he even reached it. A bald black man in a grey sweater and jeans stepped out. "Welcome to _Green Haven_. You must be Mr. Hale. My name is Alan Deaton, I'm the director of this facility."  
Derek nodded and stepped foreward to shake the mans outstretched hand. He was surprised by the firm grip the man had. Judging by his lax apperance, he'd not anticipated having to clench his teeth to keep in a surprised noise. "That's right, I'm Derek Hale. I believe we talked on the phone?"  
"That's right. I'm afraid we'll have to have another talk in my office before we can start with your therapy. Would you be so kind and take off your shoes inside? We just had the carpet cleaned two weeks ago."   
Irritated, Derek toed off his shoes before stepping into the house. Who even had carpet in an entrance hall? He had to admit though, the green fibres felt wonderfully soft beneath his socked feet. "You can put your shoes in the rack over there for your stay. For your next visit, I suggest you bring your own pair of slippers, but for now you can take a pair from the visitors bowl. Don't worry, we have them cleaned after every use", Mr. Deaton instructed.  
  
In a pair of slightly too big, vibrant red slippers, Derek followed the man up the main staircase and down the hallway to the right. On the very end of the alarmingly long hallway, Deaton led him into a nice room with cream colored walls, the same green carpet that was lining the hallway as well, and pristine white furniture. A big window to the side overlooked the front garden, one more behind the desk showed the side to the apple tree. From here, Derek could make out a tireswing dangling from one branch. Emerald green heavy curtains lined the windows on each side.   
Mr. Deaton took place behind the desk, opening a folder. "Please have a seat, Mr. Hale."  
Derek sat down in the cushioned chair in front of him. "Seeing we'll probably see each other more than I'd like within the next year, please, just call me Derek." He offered with a grimacing smile, thinking back about Lauras words.   
"Very well then, Derek. I'd offer Alan, but nobody really calls me that. Just 'Deaton' is fine with me. Now. When we were speaking before, you mentioned you're seeking Omega Therapy on court orders. Before we can make any decisions, I need to know more about this." Deaton said.   
Derek ground his teeth. He knew something like this was coming, had even hoped it would, since otherwise this facility really wouldn't care for their omegas at all. That didn't mean that it was easy for him to let a virtual stranger know. "A judge found me too agressive after I tried to protect a friend of mine, an omega. Instead of seeing it as the act of protection it was, I was ruled unstable and a threat to alphas in company of omegas. Which is not the case! I just wanted my friend to be safe, I want omegas to be safe! The jugde wouldn't listen and -" he stopped, noticing he was getting off track. He unclenched his fist and cleared his throat. "I got sentenced to a year of Omega Therapy. That's why I'm here."  
Deaton nodded, writing something down on a blank piece of paper after eyeing him thoughtfully. "I see. Well, _Green Haven_ is the right place for you. We house nearly 50 happy omegas out of their free will. We pride ourselves to be the best facility on the west coast, as you will experience for yourself soon. Now. Before I can give you the tour, I need the proper paperwork done. I take it you have your orders with you? I need a copy of them, as well as your ID and Pack-ID for safety reasons. After that, we'll go over the houserules together. And I'll answer any questions you might still have."


	2. Chapter 2

The rules Deaton explained first were fairly expected. There was no endangering the omegas, no smoking inside the house and outside of it only in marked areas. Not that either of those would be an issue to Derek, since he neither smoked not was he ever a danger to any omegas. There were rules about manners, not limited to the omegas but other visitors as well. All in all, there was nothing outrageous, rather only things Derek would have done anyways.  
Deaten then stood up to ring a large, deeply resonating bell twice by pulling on a string that was hidden behind one of the curtains. "This is the signal for the omegas that it is safe to go outside and in the hallways again. One gong means that they should head inside. It's just a safety precaution, and a standard procedure for new patients." Deaton explained with a smile. This was also the first time that he adressed Derek as a patient rather than a visitor. It was more honest, but Derek thinks he liked it better when he was just a visitor. Patient made it real, somehow.  
  
"Our patients are going trough five stages during their therapy. The first stage usually lasts only two weeks. It is the _no interaction_ stage. This means, that you are not allowed to interact with the omegas that live here at all. You may sit and watch, but there will be no communication at all," Deaton explained. He mentioned Derek to stand up and follow him outside. Irritated, not only by Deatons words but also his gestures, Derek followed him out in the hallway, seeing some of the facilities omegas for the first time.  
Two healthy looking female omegas were walking down the hallway towards the stairs, their arms interlinked and their heads nearly bumping together as they quietly talked to each other. A well-fed male omega was knocking on one of the doors, calling for Sammy to come out and play. Another door down the hallway opened and two more omegas came out, one of them so full of energy, he jumped with every step.  
"As you can see, these are the omegas private rooms. No patient is allowed to enter one of them, even if an omega invites them in. If a patient is found within one of the private rooms, they'd break the contract signed on their initial visit. We'd press charges, and the patient is to never return." Deaton said, his voice nearly sinister. "Now, the second stage our patients reach is the _communication_ phase. As the name suggests, you would be allowed to talk with the omegas. Most of them are avid talkers, so don't worry about coming up with topics in advance. You'd be surprised-" Deaton stopped in his steps when a door flew open in front of him and a younger girl tumbled out.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry, Deaton, sorry Mister. I didn't know you'd be here.", she said with a grin.  
Deaton smiled at the girl, sitting on the floor in front of them. "You were listening for us again, weren't you, Kira?"  
Kira let her eyes grow big, looking up at them innocently. "No? I was just getting out. Also, I wanted to see the new guy. Hello Mister!"  
Derek raised his hand in greeting, smiling at her. He could tell she was a rowdy one, and he'd see a lot of her in the following months. In his eyes, it was a good thing that the omega felt comfortable enough in here, that she would boldy, if badly, lie to her caretaker and a strange alpha.  
"Go on now, Kira. I think Braeden want's to show you a new dance today." Deaton suggested. Kiras eyes grew big again, this time out of wonder. "She does? Oh, I need to go move, right this now!", she jumbled out, getting back on her feet and sprinting down the rest of the way. Deaton shook his head in fond experation. "She loves to dance. Braeden is one of our caretakers. She offers physical activities to the omegas, all kinds of sports, dances, self defence, she's kind of an allaround talent. Kira pesters her for more dancing almost every day." He explained, continuing his slow pace to the stairs.  
  
"Where was I before?", Deaton asked out loud, his head slightly tilted in question. "Ah, right. The communication. Well, you'll reach that stage soon enough. Stage three is _partial interaction_. That may sound strange at first, but actually only means that you can now have some interactions. Every activity that doesn't involve direct contact with the omegas, meaning no touching whatsoever, will be an option. Boardgames, cooking, driving the bikes, you get the idea. The logical next step is the _full interaction_ stage. Sports and games that require touching will be allowed. Dancing. Watching movies cuddled together. I'm sure you'll have plenty of ideas on your own. Or you could always ask the omegas what they want to do. They can't be forced to do anything they don't want to anyways. Nothing here happens without an omegas consent. Always ask first. That is the most important thing to remember."  
Derek nodded in agreement. "How long do the stages last?", he asks.  
Deaton smiled. "That depends completely on you. If you behave well and make progress, you get bumped up. If there are complaints or we catch you breaking the rules, you will start anew. If Dr. Morrell thinks you're not ready, you might not ever reach stage four."  
Derek frowned. "Who's that? And you said earlier that there were five stages, what is the last one?" He did not like the way things were progressing. If stage four was full on contact, than that could only mean-  
"Five is Freedom. You're free to go. Some people are progressing so well that their Therapy can end before their time is up. They're free to go and never come back, if they want to. It's up to them."

 

* * *

  

Downstairs, Deaton led him first to the front desk. A well dressed woman sat behind the counter, looking trough a file in front of her. Deaton introduced her as Mrs. Martin and explained that he'd have to sign in and out with her whenever he visited. Next was a lovely canteen with cozy nooks and comfy chairs. Apparently, Derek could buy food here if he wanted to. There was a daily special, but the staff would cook any extra wishes if he had a special dietry plan or just didn't like what they had that day.  
Right next to the kitchen was a medical station. If there was ever an emergancy, Derek was to go here and look for help. The nurse manning the station introduced herself as Melissa. She explained that she took care of the omegas health, monitoring any heats and sometimes ruts, if an alpha was ever propelled into one. "It happenes," she explained, "sometimes all the omegas were too much for an alpha to handle. There's no shame it that."  
Derek gave an aborted nod, silently judging alphas that couldn't controll themselves.  
  
Dr. Morrell turned out to be his psycologist as long as he was coming to Green Haven. She was a patient woman with a gentle look in her eyes. At first Derek thought it was pity, but when she made him explain to him why he was there, he realized it was just how she observed people. Derek was instructed to come talk to her at least once a week, and whenever he felt the need to share something with her. Morrell let him go with a reminder not to be shy. Derek wanted to give a biting remark upon her patronizing words but held back.  
  
At last, Derek was led trough a couple of the activity rooms. All of them held the same, green carpet that was everywhere except for the medical station, but otherwise they were very different. One had huge empty spaces where omegas tumbled and played, roughhousing with each other. Right now, the woman he assumed to be Braeden was in the middle of a warming up the omegas for dancing. Another room was stuffed with pillows and beanbag chairs, where omegas lounged, reading books or taking a nap. There was one filled with desks and chairs, paper and books neatly sorted into cubicles to one side, a whiteboard in the front. Two omegas were sitting next to each other, a book and writing paper in front of them. Then there was one room that looked more like a common room with big, comfy couches in front of an empty fireplace, some large desks to the other side where one omega sat solving a jiggsaw puzzle, and a wall decked out with overflowing bookshelves and boardgames. Admittedly, Derek liked this room the best. It reminded him of his parents living room, a homey atmosphere and the essence of family wavering from every corner.  
Deaton led him outside at last, showing him the expanse of the garden. There was a hedge maze in the back of it that he hadn't seen before, a fountain and lovely walkways lined with flowers and bushes. It was something of an oldtimey european castlegarden. A bit too much for Dereks taste, but he could see some of the omegas liking it. There were, after all, the two omegas he saw earlier with interlinked arms, walking down one of the walkways, not paying attention to another group that was driving around in circles on the grass not far from them.

 

* * *

 

Deaton led him back to the activity rooms. "Since you're on the first stage, you're not allowed to ask the omegas for their permission to join them _verbally_. Instead, you're gonna approach them politely and knock. Why don't you go and join those three over there, playing a game. All omegas here know the signal. If they nod, you're free to join them, if they shake their head, they don't want your company."  
  
Naturally, Derek felt like a creeper when he walked up to the mentioned table. He knocked as instructed and waited while all three omegas eyed him up and down. The first one, a blonde girl with a short bob cut, nodded, and then the mousy, brown haired girl next to her agreed, too. The boy besides them, a lanky guy with a shorn head took his time. He squinted, almost glaring at Derek trough his honey brown eyes, making Derek feel even more awkward. He was about to walk away, back to Deaton to critizise the system, when the boy nodded, the tiniest movement of his head. The first girl smiled while the other one ignored him, already focused on the game again.  
Derek sat down on the fourth side of the table, making sure there was a respectable distance between him and the mousy girl and the boy.  
"I'm Heather. These are Meredith and Stiles. Welcome." The blonde introduced them. Then they continued their game without acknowleding Derek any further after that.  
  
Overall, his first visit to the facility wasn't all that bad. Derek might even write about it on his omega rights online blog, leaving out why he was there, of course. The omegas he encountered were independant and free, even outspoken at times. Of course, as soon as Derek had talking rights, he'd do further research, asking the omegas how they felt and how they got there. But in general - Derek liked the facility. Not that he'd ever admit it to Laura.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback makes the author write faster!


	3. Chapter 3

Derek stared blankly at his laptop. He'd started writing up an article about the facility, before he realized that he couldn't make a compelling argument against Green Haven. His first visit wasn't exactly bad, and Deaton didn't seem like a bad guy. He talked to the omegas just like he would talk with other people. The woman in the nurses station seemed gentle and caring as well. None of the omegas he'd observed while he sat, supposedly watching the boardgame, looked malnourished or ill, none showed any signs of abuse or a basic kind of fear. Instead, they were playful, outgoing and generally happy.  
He closed the editor with a frustrated huff. The only thing he could come up with was that all the omegas were kind of young, only a few on the brink of adulthood or just passed it. He'd have to investigate what happened to the omegas once they got too old for the facility.  
  
Instead, Derek opened up his browser, hitting his shortcut to his blog to read some comments. The last post he'd made was about his unfair trial, a defense of himself and an explanation of what _actually_ happened when he'd defended Isaac from another alpha. He'd gotten some outraged comments about the incident itself, about the process, about injustice and about the corrupt legal system. One or two asked about his punishments, to which Derek didn't give a response. Eventhough he was gereally outspoken about omega rights, he was very careful when he gave details about himself and his surroundings. Surely somebody could figure out who he was if he just gave enough info on his case.  
Other comments were, of course, from bigoted alphas and betas that saw nothing wrong with the other alphas treatment of Isaac. They chose to attack him instead, calling him an arrangement of degradory terms, telling him they'd have ripped his throat out or made sure he'd be locked up. Naturally, this is where Derek spent the most time on his replies, defending himself further, attacking the commentors right back, arguing for the omegas safety all the while supplying further links to helpful lecture for alphas to educate themselves. Eventhough it was infuriating, these comments were the reason Derek ran the blog, hoping to change some peoples minds trough discussion.  
  
  
Some time later, Laura came home from work. She'd picked up some groceries as well, carrying two full bags with her into the kitchen. "I got you some slippers," she called out, "they were on sale. I think you can leave them with the receptionist at Green Haven? I remember Jordan left his with her when I picked him up."  
Derek was still answering comments on his blog. "Great", he mumbled in answer, without so much as looking up. One less thing he's have to take care of. "Hey, did you pick up carrots? I think we're out."  
"Sure," Laura answered. Somehow, Laura always knew what to pick up. Derek still hadn't found out how she does that. Instead, he always ends up with doubles, sometimes triples of things they already have, forgetting everythings they need. Laura still sometimes teases him about the month of 'all cheese; no bread'. Yeah, he might have messed that up a bit.

 

* * *

 

Derek is going to kill Laura. No, honestly, this time she'd gone too far. Derek ran late for his second session of OT after he'd lost himself in his workout. So when Laura barged in, yelling at him to get into the shower and afterwards throwing him his bag, he didn't put too much thought into it.  
  
He'd rushed to Green Haven, hating the idea to come off as uncaring. Also, since the therapy was court-ordered, somebody would check in on his behaviour. If Derek missed appointments or misbehaved, he could get into even worse trouble. So if he sped up at a yellow light when he really should have slowed down, or if he made a sharp turn too fast, who was really gonna judge him? Luckily, he found a empty parking spot right away, so he made it to the gate only 5 minutes late. He rang the bell to be let in and jogged all the way up to the house. Right away he noticed that a lot of omegas were outside, minding their own buiseness, some talking with other alphas and betas. It wasn't that big of a shock to him, Deaton said that they were only called inside when somebody visited for the first time, but still. It made a hell of a difference. Especially since he didn't see any visiting alphas and betas the last time he was there.  
  
Mrs. Martin tutted at him when she wrote down his time, and Derek apologized profoundly. She gave him a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Don't worry, hun'. It happens", she said in a tone that actually meant something else.  
"It won't happen again." Derek replied, putting as much sincerity in his voice as he could.  
Derek then went to change into his slippers. He took of his polished, black work shoes and put them aside neatly. It felt just as awkward as the last time. Then, when he reached into his bag to take out the slippers Laura had gotten him, he froze. Something inside his bag glittered. He was sure that he didn't even own something that had glitterfoil worked into it. Laura must have put something in his-  
It were his slippers.  
Dereks face went white as a sheet. Laura had bought him hot pink, sparkly, light-up slippers with little bow and heart shapes on top. Yeah, Derek is going to kill his sister, and no court would argue that it wasn't self defense, when he presented them with these slippers. Desperately, Derek turned over his bag, emptying its entire contents onto the green carpet, hoping that there would be an actual pair of decent slippers _somewhere_ in the bag. "Something wrong?", Mrs. Martin asked from her desk behind him.  
"No- everything is fine", Derek answered, trying to shove all his belonging back into his back in one go. It didn't work, instead he'd made an even worse mess. "Damn you, Laura, I swear, if you're home when I get there...", he mumbled under his breath as he picked up some pieces of paper and a packet of gum.  
  
A pair of legs came to stop right next to him. Derek looked up to see one of the omegas he'd spent some time with the last time he was there. The guy had a shiteating grin on his face, as he bent down to pick up the slippers Laura had bought - becuse Derek refused to think of them as his slippers - and inspected them in his hands. Derek finished up putting his stuff back and stood up again. He reached for the pink monstrosity, but the omega pulled them back a bit to inspect them further. "Nice.", he commented, "I bet you're gonna rock them hard."  
Derek felt a bit whoozy from how fast the blood that had previously drained out of his face rushed back. He was about to tell the guy where he could stick them, when he remembered the rules, and that Derek wanted to get over this therapy bullshit as quick as possible. So he forced his face to form something resembling a smile as he reached for the slippers again.  
The omega still grinned at him when he handed the slippers over before he turned and took of his own, a nice brown pair, placed them in one of the cubbies and exchenged them for a pair of sneakers. Then he zipped up his red hoodie and wandered outside.  
Derek stared after the omega for a minute, before he remembered why he was here and put on the pink slippers from hell. Screw that omega, he was not going to give him the satisfaction of getting under his skin.

 

* * *

 

Derek had found his way into one of the activity rooms. After a quick glance around, he decided to walk over into one of the corners, where a broad bookshelf was filled with all kinds of books. He picked out one of the newer looking novels that he hadn't seen before and made his way over to one of the overstuffed couches. A petite, brownhaired girl sat there, nose in a book as well. There was no wooden surface nearby to knock on, so he opted to clear his throat instead. The girl glanced up at him. Derek smiled awkwardly, letting his eyes wander to the empty space besides her, before his eyes shot back to her.  
Understanding dimmed in her eyes, and after a moment of hesitation, she nodded. Derek made sure to leave plenty of space between them as he settled down, flipping open the book and began to read. This, he could get used to. Nobody bugging him while he immersed himself in some mediocre story about a guy who was one of the princes of some kind of empire, where he had to fight his way to the top so he could be king.  
  
He'd made it to the part where the guy was working as a junker because he was stranded on a foreign planet, when someone else approached him. "Mr. Hale, would you please follow me?"  
Before him stood Dr. Morrell, and a redheaded omega standing close behind her. He nodded, flipping the book closed without marking his progress. He stuffed it back onto the shelf somewhere in the middle and then turned to follow the two women out of the room and into her office.  
  
"Please, take a seat." Morrell offered, making a small handgesture towards the chair in front of her desk. She and the omega took a seat each on the other side. Morrell spread out a file in front of her, while the redhead simply folded her hands in her lap, taking a long look up and down Dereks body. It made him uncomfortable.  
"This is your second appointment. Have you enjoyed yourself so far?", Morrell asked, twirling a pen in her fingers. Derek glanced to the omega, unsure about her presence. The psychologist noticed his hesistance and smiled at him sharply. "Right, first things first. This is Lydia Martin. She's come to Green Haven for the opportunities we offer for her education. She's been taking classes online for my field."  
Derek nodded, then stopped. "I didn't know omegas could become psychologists," he blurted out.  
A tense smile appeared on Lydias lips. "We can't. It's actually forbidden by law, since we're believed to be emotionally too weak to handle other people's problems." Clearly she thought that was bullshit. Derek thought so, too.  
"Luckily, empaths are practically the same thing. So that's what I'm working as. You can talk to me, by the way, I don't follow the same rules as everybody else." Lydia pursed her lips, leaning back in a motion that also flipped her hair back over her shoulder. Derek smiled to himself, knowing she was talking about more that just the rules at Green Haven.  
"I'm pleased to meet you, then", he told her, and Lydia gave her first real smile.  
  
Morrell gave them a little moment, before she cleared her throat. "Very good. Now, let's go back to our talk. Derek, can you tell me why you were late today?"  
Derek fought hard not to groan as he answered her question. Next time, he was going to set an alarm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am very sorry it took me so long to write an update. I had some trouble with a scene that just wouldn't come out right, and I'm still not 100% satisfied. Looking back at all your comments and the whole boatload of subscribers this fic has pulled my head back out of places where it doesn't belong though, so yeah, this is all on you. Thank you so much, and thank each other! :)
> 
>  
> 
> By the way, the book Derek is reading is "A Confusion of Princes" by Garth Nix. It took me over a year and a half to finish reading that book, simply because it lost me in the middle somewhere. I'd say a solid 4/10, would only recommend if bored with zero other things to do. But of course, my rating is based on memory, and that could be screwed up because of the time it took me to pick it back up...


End file.
